Spurs and Liverpool Share a Key Weakness

Spurs’ 0-0 draw with Liverpool back in October bears some similarity with this Saturday’s match-up, but differs in one crucial way.

That match also came after an international break. Spurs stressed then over absences – then it was Eric Dier’s suspension after his fifth yellow card of the season, now it’s Jan Vertonghen out with injury and Toby Alderweireld possibly out with illness. Liverpool are again set to be missing out on some key names in offense, most notably Roberto Firmino.

It’s what’s changed with both teams that means the most, though. That draw at White Hart Lane was Jürgen Klopp’s first match in charge at Liverpool, and though the difference in the squad’s tactics was obvious – a heavier press, a more robust midfield – it was clear that it would take time for the German’s methods to take hold.

Mauricio Pochettino had been in charge of Spurs for much longer, of course, but at that point in the season it still wasn’t abundantly obvious that this team would be title contenders by the spring.

What’s happened since then is an solidification of a specific and well-drilled system at both clubs, one that at first glance almost looks identical. It was Klopp’s groundbreaking counter-pressing at Borussia Dortmund that inspired the type of football Pochettino has his Southampton and Spurs sides play. While Pochettino has had the time to instill this philosophy at Spurs, there’s no denying that Klopp’s Liverpool are quickly becoming the second best representatives of the school in the Premier League.

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As fate would have it, though, both of these sides also share a weakness: neither deal well with the opposition using their own tactics against them. By further coincidence, each coach has been reminded of that fact by the club the other used to run.

Spurs’ 5-1 aggregate humiliation at the hands of Dortmund might be cracked up in part to Pochettino naming teams composed of mostly reserves, but there’s still some truth to be found in just how well the Bundesliga side won. They might not be helmed by Klopp anymore, but they retain a strong sense of his high pressing tactics and aggressive transition play. B-team or no, Dortmund never looked intimidated by Spurs’ efforts on either side of the ball.

Klopp perhaps has reason to be more disappointed. In their last match before the international break, Liverpool saw their 2-0 lead at half-time after Southampton mounted an impressive comeback with three goals in 22 minutes.

Both matches were framed by both some familiar reactive tactical sets and a high level of individual skill – particularly from Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng and Southampton’s Sadio Mané. And those aren’t even the only examples of these sides’ mutual deficiency this season. Just look at the success a pragmatic West Ham side enjoyed in three of their four matches with the two sides this season.

For those reasons both Pochettino and Klopp have reason to worry about Saturday’s match. They will face off against broadly similar schemes to the ones that delivered their most recent embarrassments, with the likes of Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge standing out as the players who could deliver the most misery.

Next: West Brom Assiatant on Spurs' Pritchard's Playing Time

Pochettino stands out as the man with the most to loose in this encounter. For that reason we might expect that he play a more responsible game than the one he’s benefited so much from over the last three consecutive wins in the Premier League. More on that in the tactical preview coming later.